Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week. Here are this week’s stories.

Mon, 9 May

• Voyage Foods secures US $36 million in Series A funding round. The “bean-free coffee” manufacturer will launch its first product in the second quarter of 2022.

• First round of 2022 Canadian Barista Championships takes place in Toronto. Nelson Phu of Calgary placed first. The six top-scoring winners will compete in the Canadian Barista Championship finals, which will be held from 4 to 5 June.

• PRF Colombia announces Covid-19 health and safety measures. With more than 5,000 attendees expected, a number of health and safety measures will be implemented at the Plaza Mayor venue, including biosecurity technology to record attendees’ temperatures. PRF Colombia will take place from 30 June to 1 July.

• Fairtrade Canada launches It’s Only Fair awareness campaign. Throughout May, the campaign will raise awareness surrounding economic equity and sustainability in food supply chains, including coffee.

• UCC Coffee launches new wholesale ecommerce platform. Businesses and workplaces can purchase bulk orders through UCC Direct. The new platform also includes low minimum order quantities for smaller businesses.

• National Coffee and Cocoa Convention to be held in-person from 30 June to 1 July. The 24th annual convention will be held in Peru and will include a number of speaker sessions. A virtual event will also be held from 26 to 27 May.

• Researchers from University of Southern California publish study on habits and coffee consumption. The study recorded data on coffee consumption and reported levels of tiredness over the course of a week. Participants claimed levels of tiredness were around two times as important as personal habits when consuming coffee. However, the study concluded that habits had just as much influence as tiredness on coffee consumption.

• illycaffè celebrates 30th anniversary of illy Art Collection. The Biennale exhibition will be held at the Royal Gardens in Venice until 30 June, showcasing more than 450 illy cup designs.

Tue, 10 May

• Aillio publishes roasting guide for new Bullet R1 sample roaster. In collaboration with consultant Rob Hoos, the guide includes best practices on how to use the Bullet R1 roaster, as well as general guidance on small-batch roasting.

• Scooter’s Coffee opens second distribution centre in Omaha, Nebraska. The new facility will enable the company to increase production and support its store expansion across the US.

• La Marzocco launches new Legacy Linea Mini. As part of the 30th anniversary Linea Mini campaign, the new prosumer Legacy machine includes red panels to pay homage to the first prototype of the original model.

• New study finds men have higher levels of cholesterol after drinking espresso. Researchers in Norway assessed more than 21,000 participants over the age of 40. People who consumed three to five espressos per day were found to have higher levels of cholesterol than those who did not drink espresso, however, men were found to have higher levels than women when consuming similar volumes.

• DMCC signs agreement to open international trade centre in Colombia. DMCC and international investment holding company UVentures will develop and operate the facility in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, which will trade a number of goods (including coffee). Once established, the Cartagena International Commerce Zone will become Latin America’s first Common Law District Arbitration Centre.

• Women-owned Via Guatemala Coffee launches online. The company sells coffee from indigenous farmers in Guatemala. A portion of profits is donated to several foundations in the country which support these farmers and their communities.

• Hawaii Coffee Association hosts 13th annual cupping competition. Over 95 green coffees were submitted from the Kona, Ka’u, Hamakua, Hawai’i, O’ahu, Maui, and Kaua’i districts. The winners will be announced on 20 May.

Wed, 11 May

• Green coffee packaging solutions manufacturer Ecotact releases new hermetic container liners. The company’s Ship Shield Hermetic Container Liner is designed to be used in 20 foot shipping containers. The liners can be installed in around ten minutes.

• International Trade Centre hosts first webinar in young coffee professionals series. As part of the sessions led by ITC’s Alliances for Action programme, the webinars are focused towards young professionals interested in working in the coffee industry. The second instalment, focusing on post-harvest processing and roasting, will be held on 18 May at 16:30 CEST.

• Dutch Bros reports 2022 first quarter revenue up 54%. The drive-thru coffee chain stated the increase is attributed to opening 107 new stores over the past 12 months. Dutch Bros also revised its financial outlook for full year 2022, estimating total revenue will be between US $700 million and $715 million. However, the company reported a wider loss of US $16.3 million as a result of inflation and rising gas prices.

• International Women’s Coffee Alliance hosts Spanish gender strategies webinar. In partnership with the International Coffee Organisation, the Embedding Transformative Gender Strategies In The Coffee Sector virtual session was presented in Spanish. The English version is available on YouTube.

• Peru’s coffee production to exceed 4 million 60kg bags in 2022/23. According to an annual report from the United States Department of Agriculture, Peru’s coffee production will increase 2.2% on 2021/22. The rise in production is attributed to favourable weather conditions.

• National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia launches new traceability campaign. The Colombian Coffee Quality Triangle certifies that coffee is fully sourced from Colombia. The logo will be displayed on Colombian coffee packaging.

• Canadian Cup Tasters Championship 2022 held in Toronto. The winner will go on to represent Canada in the 2022 World Cup Tasters Championships at World of Coffee Milan from 23 to 25 June.

Thu, 12 May

• CBI to host Success stories: Exporting specialty coffee to Europe webinar. The virtual session will include several coffee exporters from different countries discussing how to enter the European market. The webinar will take place on 19 May at 15:00 BST.

• Wilbur Curtis releases two new fully automatic dual machines. The Curtis G4 ThermoProX Twin and the Curtis G4 GemX Gemini Twin machines can both brew up to 80 litres of coffee per hour compared to their respective single versions.

• More coffee shortages reported in Russia amid ongoing conflict. As a result of economic sanctions, many coffee shipments are being diverted from the Black Sea, which some traders claim will leave a demand reduction of around 1.8 million 60kg bags.

• Arabica futures rebound from six-month low. Arabica futures on the Intercontinental Exchange market had fallen to a six-month low of US 202.30 cents on Tuesday. By Wednesday, July arabica coffee futures increased 5.9% to US 215.85 cents/lb.

• Swiss Water Decaf reports 50% increase in 2022 first quarter revenue. The Canadian company also states gross profit increased by US $2.2 million on the same period in 2021, driven by higher trading volumes and more efficient production capacities. However, Swiss Water says supply chain issues could negatively affect financial performance in the future.

• US dairy producer Chobani commits $1 million to Idaho University dairy research. The company says the funds will be used to support “advanced scientific research” to ensure a “sustainable future” for dairy production. Research will take place at the university-led Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (Idaho CAFE).

Fri, 13 May

• World Coffee Alliance to host three-part virtual series on digital identity in the coffee supply chain. The first webinar in the WCA Technocoffee Innovation Series – A Trilogy in Digital Traceability will focus on how digital identities can improve sustainability in the coffee sector. The first two-panel session will be held on 26 May at 14:00 BST.

• Vietnam to replant more than 107,000ha of coffee trees by 2025. As part of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam’s strategic plans, 75,000ha will be replanted, while a further 32,000ha will be grafted and renovated. Studies found that after replanting, coffee yields increased up to 3.5 tonnes/ha, which further increased farmers’ income between 1.5 to 2 times prior to replanting.

• International Café & Beverage Show 2022 to be held from 19 to 21 May. More than 150 brands from seven countries (including Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and the UK) will be present at the event in Kuala Lumpur.

• Le Paris Café Festival & French Coffee Championships 2022 to take place from 14 to 16 May. More than 8,000 visitors are expected to attend this year’s event. The festival will host the French Barista Championships, Brewer’s Cup, and Cup Tasters Championships.

• German Roasting Championships 2022 held in Münster. The competition will take place over two days, with the winner representing Germany in the 2022 World Roasting Championships at World of Coffee Milan from 23 to 25 June.

• Flash Coffee launches two new collagen-enhanced beverages. The limited edition Collagen Peach Latte and Collagen Apple Tea include Kinohimitsu’s Collagen Activ shots. The new beverages are available from 16 May.

• Digital Coffee Future to host three-part technology in coffee webinar series. The first virtual session, held on 19th May at 18:00 CEST, will explore the use of digital logistics tools in the coffee industry. The following webinars will take place on 2 June and 16 June.

Here are a few news stories from previous weeks that you might find interesting. Take a look.

• Tue, 3 May – Yum China reports Covid-19 lockdowns negatively affected 2022 first quarter results. The company, which operates branches of COFFii & JOY and Lavazza Café in China, reported first quarter operating profit of US $191 million. However, Yum China reported that operating profit decreased 44% on the same period in 2021, while net income decreased 57%.

• Wed, 4 May – Starbucks to launch NFT project. The coffee chain plans to create a series of branded non-fungible token collections to improve “unique experiences, community building, and customer engagement”. Starbucks is aiming to create a new digital ecosystem to coincide with its current digital platforms, including mobile ordering and the loyalty scheme.

• Wed, 4 May – FunGuys Beverages receives first pre-order for mushroom-infused cold brew line. The KOLD organic cold brew contains lion’s mane and chaga mushrooms. The new line will first launch in Canada.

• Wed, 4 May – Starbucks to implement fourth pay raise for hourly employees in 18 months. The pay raise is part of a US $1 billion commitment to invest in employees and stores throughout 2022. From 1 August, average hourly wages will increase to at least US $17. Employees with two to five years of service will receive a 5% increase, while employees with more than five years of experience will receive a 7% increase.

• Thu, 5 May – UK government axes plans to secure tips for hospitality workers. The UK Business Minister announced in September 2021 that laws would be put in place to make it illegal for employers to withhold tips from employees, including those working in coffee shops. According to government insiders, the plan has been dropped for the “foreseeable future”.

• Thu, 5 May – Rohlik Group launches home compostable capsules. The European grocery retailer partnered with Capsul-in-Pro to produce the TUV certified OK Home Compost capsules.

• Thu, 5 May – Italian coffee company Le Piantagioni del Caffè to open new Fluid coffee shop. The Fluid – Specialty Coffee & Sharing shop will aim to drive innovation in the Italian specialty coffee sector. The coffee shop will open on 25 May in Florence.

• Fri, 6 May – Cropster Café runs espresso machine survey. Cropster is looking for feedback on how roasters and coffee shops use their espresso machines and programme group head buttons.

• Fri, 6 May – Löfbergs plans to expand in eastern European markets. The Swedish coffee roaster hopes to see similar levels of success in eastern European countries as experienced in Finland and the Baltic region. As a response to the invasion of Ukraine, Löfbergs ceased all operations in Russia and Belarus.

• Fri, 6 May – Swiss brand Beanarella launches compostable coffee capsules. The company says the capsules will decompose within 90 days. The new capsules are available in 17 different varieties.

• Fri, 6 May – National Labour Relations Board accuses Starbucks of over 200 alleged violations of National Labour Relations Act. The NLRB’s regional director accused the company of 29 unfair labour practices which include over 200 violations. Starbucks is accused of interfering with unionisation efforts, as well as coercing employees seeking to unionise.

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Photo credits: Julio Guevara